Right Understanding ... Right Value ... Right Wisdom ...

Right Understanding ...
Right Value ... Right Wisdom ...

QUESTION  :  The meditation which we traditionally understand is 'doing' ... do this and that, contemplate on this and that, concentrate this and that on what you see, feel, hear, taste, etc.  But your method is primarily based on 'abandoning' and placing central emphasis on the mind actions of 'abandoning'.

I used to do anapanasati meditation with the intention of attaining nibanna. Because of this personal ambition, I practice Vipassana Insight meditation which I believe, as per the teachings of Lord Buddha.  We were merely trying and attempting to do actions without understanding the logic of abandoning.

Now I come to understand that we need to practice insight meditation with the power of abandoning in mind and contemplate on nothing but abandoning.  Then only we will be able to attain insight wisdom.

While practicing meditation, due to the uncontrollable nature of our physical body, we might probably feel the pain during meditation.  That is natural.  The most important issue here is that we should not grasp those pains and develop attachment to it.  Instead, we need to learn to abandon our attachment to the pain.

In the past I gained nothing because I was doing things in my habitual way. This was the reason why I touched on this pain subject in the beginning of our conversation.

Sayadaw  :  Traditionally we place central emphasis on the actions of 'doing' such as doing and not doing, doing this and that, achieving this and that as well as effects (results) such as becoming this and that, not becoming this and that, understanding and not understanding, etc.  They are merely created actions.

But in reality, we only need to abandon those created actions, believes and change all our actions to 'doing-only'.

Together with your created actions, the action of placing central emphasis on those created actions and grasping happen.  That is the reason why you need to do 'abandoning' in order to abandon your habit of placing central emphasis on those created actions.

You need to abandon all your created actions as well as placing central emphasis on those created actions.

You need to place central emphasis only on the right understanding.  On top of practicing meditation and contemplating on dhamma teachings, you also need to remember the truth of 'abandoning' in your mind as well as 'abandon placing central emphasis on those created actions' in your mind.  Learn to do all your actions with that right understanding in your mind.

It is easier to do created actions but difficult to do actions with right understanding in your mind.  Only when you do your actions with right understanding in your mind, your actions will become 'doing-only'.  You can apply this theory not only on practicing meditation but also on all other actions.

Only when you carry out actions with the right understanding of abandoning and non-grasping; centering your attentions only on abandoning and non-grasping; experience without grasping in mind ... you will not have any attachment or grasping on the outcome.

Your perception 'easy or difficult' can be considered as grasping.  Your perception 'my teaching is deep' can also be considered as grasping.  Try to 'abandon all your grasping' and try to practice 'experience-only' from now onwards.

The biggest problem so far is when people fail to understand and recognise the problem as a problem and thus not willing to find any solution to it.  This can also be considered as the culprit of series of other problems.

So long as you have the right understanding in mind, all these created problems will no longer be problems for you.  By nature, people only have capabilities to identify and solve created problems.  This is the main reason why they fail to identify and find solutions for the critical problems of mind. 

Once you have ability to understand and recognise the real problems as 'problems', it will eventually be easier for others to have similar right understanding as you.

As long as you have right understanding, as far as and as much as your understanding permits, you will eventually be able to solve the problems of other people too.  This is called 'sharing the right understanding'.

It is difficult to share right understanding with those who do not know how to appreciate it.  It is even more difficult to work towards attaining this right understanding.  Though this job is extremely difficult, it is also extremely important, fulfilling and valuable.

It is very important for everyone to continuously working towards attaining right understanding for themselves as well as helping others who are facing same issues as them.

In my teaching and also in this process, there is no emphasis on 'people', 'who', 'I', 'you', etc but merely address to and solve the problems of non-understanding.

By nature, human beings incline to focus on 'people or beings' such as I understand, who and who understands, I do not understand, who and who does not understand, etc ... placing central emphasis on 'people or being'.  In reality, you even need to 'abandon placing central emphasis on people or being' and it should only be 'understand' or 'do not understand'.

You need to understand my teachings well but do not grasp them tightly.  Do not grasp to your understanding when you understand my teachings.  Likewise, do not grasp to it when you do not understand my teachings.  Try to remember the right understanding of 'using-only' while trying to abandon the grasping.

If everybody try to solve this issue unanimously, solving this issue will no longer be challenging anymore. 

First off all, all the practicing yogis need to have correct understanding as far as insight meditation is concerned.  Erase all traditional habits of interpreting insight meditation as 'doing'.  Stop being contented on the traditional abilities of 'doing this' and doing that' during practicing insight meditation.

One good news is that, of lately, due to the fact that people have been practicing and teaching insight meditation for so many years, they came to realise that the method which they have been practicing for years are not so complete and exhaustive.  They have discovered many shortfalls, gaps, realised rooms for improvement and an urgency to address to those issues.

As long as majority is participated in to address to those issues and close the gap, it will even be easier for the majority to attain right understanding.  As long as the majority attain right understanding, the problem will no longer be a problem anymore. 

The problem still remains as a problem just because people still associate actions with 'I', 'you' and regard those actions as 'doing' ... e.g. I do not understand, you also do not understand, I am facing difficulties, you are also facing difficulties as well as doing or not doing, becoming someone or not ...

While you are doing your actions, try to contemplate on the right understanding of 'abandoning' as well as 'abandon placing central emphasis on the actions'.

When you experience strange, different and significant feelings during meditation, contemplate on the right understanding of 'abandon placing central emphasis on happening or not happening'.

When the pain gets severe and becomes unbearable or when you start to experience peaceful and serene feeling or when your feelings and sensations become significant and obvious, try to contemplate on the right understanding of 'abandon placing central emphasis on happening or not happening'.  At the same time, try to abandon your mind from placing central emphasis on those experiences.

Even when you attain significant understanding or when you attain obvious wisdom, still try to contemplate on the right understanding of 'abandon placing central emphasis on understanding or not understanding'.  At the same time, you still need to abandon all your deeper understandings and wisdom.

You continuously need to do step-by-step 'abandoning' as your understanding, wisdom and knowledge become deeper.

The key point here is that ... try to abandon all your actions in your mind even while you are doing those actions. 

If you are experiencing effects (results) due to the cause (efforts) that you had put in, try to 'abandon paying central emphasis on those effects'.

When you attain deeper understanding and wisdom, abandon paying attention on those understanding and wisdom too.

By doing so, your mind power of 'abandoning' will reach to the fullest (maximum) till there is nothing left for you to abandon.

The key point here is that you still have 'grasping' just because you do not have ability and knowledge to abandon your grasping and attachment over I, you, myself, etc.

You still have grasping such as my parents, my children in your mind just because you do not have absolute courage for abandonment.

Your mind grasp and attach to the parents as 'my parents' even though they are no longer around or they had long passed away.  It is the proof that you do not have ability and knowledge to abandon your grasping.

You have anxiety over things just because you do not have absolute courage for any loss.  That is the reason why you always have to worry over your life, your health, etc.

You worry over understanding and not understanding dhamma teachings just because you cannot accept the reality that you are incapable of comprehending dhamma well.  You cannot accept your incapability just because you grasp understanding and understanding dhamma tightly in your mind.

Why do you have unnecessary worries?  The answer is simple ... just because you cannot afford to lose them or you cannot accept loss gracefully.  If you have absolute dare for any loss, there is nothing to worry about.

By nature, people do not have absolute dare for sacrifice.  That is the reason why people find life as problematic.  Life becomes problematic just because people are not willing to make sacrifices throughout their lives.  This is the reason why people need to settle their grievances at court.  If people have absolute dare for sacrifice, they do not have to lodge complaints or resort to settle grievances over the court sessions or do not need to attempt endless revenge against each other.

You are not willing to sacrifice just because you cannot abandon your habit of centering your attention over being good or bad.  The problems over being good or bad will no longer be problems for you once you successfully 'abandon' them in your mind.

Just because you cannot abandon your habit of placing central emphasis over 'happenings', you are happy when good things happen but sad when bad things happen to you. No matter how good or bad the situation is, it is still important for you to abandon placing central emphasis on these goods and bads.

You have to work towards attaining right understanding does not necessarily mean that you have to purposely and intentionally work towards achieving right understanding.  You just need to have right understanding in your mind at all times.

As long as you have right understanding in your mind, you will gradually be able to abandon placing central emphasis on those created actions. 

On one hand, try to do limitless good deeds continuously and on the other hand, try to have right understanding in your mind at all times. 

By doing so, soon there is absolutely nothing left for you to abandon in your mind.  Your mind will be able to abandon everything and anything limitlessly.

No matter how big or small the problem is, as long as you have the power of 'abandoning' in your mind and not forgetting the right understanding, you can be able to solve any problems with your power of right understanding.

By nature, human being wish to have financial stability for their graying years though there is no guarantee that they will live till their ripe old age.  Due to their desire of having financial stability, grasping happened.  They fail to detect their grasping and thus unable to abandon those grasping from their mind.  

They are unable to abandon their perception of having financial stability for their graying years just because they firmly grasp on their created perceptions of having sound financial stability is crucial for life, one cannot survive without money, one need to be in good health and etc.

The truth and reality is that you need to abandon everything till there is nothing left for you to abandon, to endure the loss till there is nothing left for you to lose and to sacrifice till there is nothing left for you to sacrifice.  These are the ultimate goals which you always need to keep in your mind as well as to practice till perfection.

You place central emphasis on having or not having, must have this and that, cannot live without this and that just because you do not have these right understandings in mind.

As long as you diligently work towards achieving right understanding and at the same time, try not to grasp anything in your mind, you will no longer face any problems in future.

As long as there are grasping in your mind, you will definitely need to worry over the issues and things which you grasp so tightly.

You cannot accept death just because you take life as reality and grasp it tightly in your mind.

You worry over your worldly possessions just because you take them as reality and grasp them tightly in your mind.

You worry over your reputation or fame just because you take them as reality and grasp them tightly in your mind.

These are merely created perceptions and thus you should not grasp them and take them as reality.  They are just to be used-only and thus try to abandon placing central emphasis on them in your mind.

You always need to remember and contemplate on the created nature of those created things, created possessions and created understandings, which are to be abandoned only and lose only.

Since you are part of the human society, you might face grievances such as good or bad experiences, fair or unfair treatments, etc as they are unavoidable.  So long as you have absolute dare for limitless sacrifice in your mind, you can contemplate on these problems as just to be experienced-only and avoid placing central emphasis on them as problems.

As your power of right understanding becomes stronger and solid, you will gradually be able to abandon all the actions of your mind till there is nothing left for you to abandon and hence your power of abandoning, ability to withstand loss and power of sacrifice will reach to the fullest (maximum).

You will then know and be able to use your life as to be 'used-only', time, place and experiences as to be 'experienced-only'.  As such, you will find life as very precious and fulfilling. 

Everything becomes useful as long as you know how to use them as 'use-only'.  This is the 'right understanding', 'right value', 'right wisdom' and 'right jewel' of life.